CARLSBAD: City, pilot at odds over radio-controlled plane flights

CARLSBAD -- A man who has flown radio-controlled miniature
airplanes in Carlsbad's parks for several years is blasting new
flight restrictions that limit him and other enthusiasts to one
strip of land along Carlsbad's coastline.

This spring, the City Council unanimously agreed to expand the
list of what is prohibited at city parks and beaches.

All animals -- not just dogs -- are now banned in parks, as are
glass containers and temporary water slides.

In addition, people can no longer operate remote-controlled
airplanes, cars or other devices at the parks or beaches, except in
an area just west of Carlsbad Drive between Palomar Airport Road
and Solamar Drive.

That change came in response to complaints by park visitors and
parks department employees, Recreation Services Manager Mick
Calarco said Monday.

"I have received, personally, more than a dozen complaints,"
Calarco said, adding that people told him the planes were coming
"awfully close" and buzzing around their heads.

Though there have been no reported injuries from
remote-controlled planes at city parks, there was a perception that
public safety was at risk, Calarco said.

That's nonsense, Calderon said.

Decades ago, model planes were heavy, noisy, gas-powered
machines that could be considered dangerous, he said.

Now, they're mostly battery-powered, are much quieter and can be
quite tiny, he said.

"I have one that weighs less than an ounce -- the whole thing,"
he said, adding that it "would not injure a fly."

Calderon argues that the complaints Calarco has heard probably
come from a small minority.

Most spectators who have watched him fly his planes at Aviara
and Poinsettia parks love his demonstrations, he said.

City officials say they're not banning all flights, they're just
limiting where the planes can take off.

The permitted spot -- a strip of coastal bluff south of Palomar
Airport Road's intersection with Carlsbad Boulevard -- was picked
because some pilots already use that area and it's separate from
the city's regular parks system, Calarco said.

This means the planes won't be landing on soccer fields and they
won't be buzzing around joggers or kids on the playground, he
said.

Calderon, a hobby plane enthusiast who runs an aerial
photography business using his small planes, doesn't agree that the
coastal site is safer.

Hazards there include passing vehicles, bicyclists and joggers,
he said.

Plus, there isn't enough space to land some of his planes, he
said.

He also isn't keen on the site because it's farther from his
office, so it will mean longer drives when he wants to test his
experimental planes, he added.

Others also have reservations about the coastal site.

The California State Parks system, which owns the beach, isn't
thrilled with the recent increase in pilot activity on the bluff
and may hold a meeting to discuss the issue, Sector Superintendent
Brian Ketterer said Friday.

"We have concerns about the pilots versus the beachgoers," he
said, adding that he has fielded several complaints from
beachgoers.